74 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



obtained. There is no other plant that I know of that requires so 

 much water to perfect the crop in the highest state and the greatest 

 abundance as strawberries. 



Where the markets are large enough to readily' handle year after 

 year the product of five or more acres from one farm, I am satisfied 

 that an investment of from one to two thousand dollars for irrigation 

 purposes would pay handsomel^^ However, as such an amount of 

 capital cannot well be so invested by many planters, and cheaper 

 means of obtaining an abundant supply of water are not to be had, 

 except in rare cases, therefore I urge a thorough preparation of the 

 soil for planting, and frequent cultivation, that the plants may root 

 deeply and thus be able to withstand drouth, which comes so often 

 just when we can least afl^ord it. 



In gathering and marketing the crop there should be one picker 

 for each thirty or fort}" quarts of the daily product, and a superin- 

 tendent to every fifteen or twenty pickers to assign them their rows 

 and inspect their work from time to time to see that they keep to 

 their rows and do not trample on the vines. Pick the fruit clean, and 

 grade it according to the demands of the market to be supplied. 

 Upon the thoroughness of this superintendent's work will depend a 

 large measure of the success of the business. For keeping tally 

 with the pickers, the best plan I know of is, to give each a picking 

 stand or rack of a size suitable to hold four, six, or eight quart 

 baskets. This should be plainly stenciled with the number of the 

 picker, all of whom should be numbered. On commencement of 

 each day's work the picker is given this rack with its full quota of 

 baskets, no more, no less, and is required to return them, either 

 full or empty to the packing shed when a daily account ticket is 

 given. This ticket is of ''tough check" paper, 3^x1^ inches. 

 Across the top is a space for name and number of picker, day and 

 date of the week, then five upright columns of eight figures repre- 

 senting — 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 quarts or 144 quarts in all — as much as 

 even good pickers are likely to pick in one day 



From this is punched with a conductor's punch, a number represent- 

 ing quarts of berries brought in, and given to the picker, who is then 

 given a fresh lot of baskets, and returns to work and continues in 

 this way till the day's work is done. Then the daily ticket is taken 

 up and the number of quarts it represents as having been picked is 

 then punched out of the weekly ticket, which is of the same tough 

 check paper, size 6^x2| inches. This ticket has space for name 



